Safety closet



F. FNAGY SAFETY CLOSET April 24, 1928,.

Filed A112. 25. 1927 hnllllllllnll Patented Apr. 2K4, 1928.

UNI'IED` STATES- PATENT- omer..

'FRANK FNAGY, oF FLAGTOWN, NEW JERSEY."

SAFETY cLosET. y

y Application med August 23, 1927. serial no. 214,841.

This invention relates to a safety closet and has for its object theprovision of a safe and secure retreat for merchants at times ofrobberies yand holdups.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a safety closethaving a bumper.

cally lifting the receiver hook of a telephone when the door of thecloset is Completely closed. v v

Other objects will appear hereinafter, the lnovel features andcombinations 'being more 0. clearly set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawing. v f f Fig. 1 `is a perspective view of a safety closetembodying my invent-ion. l Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view 25taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a doorkembodied*` in my invention. v

Fig. 4 isa fragmentary detail view of a.` further development of myinvention. Fig. 5'is a plan view of aV bumper device embodied in themodified form of my. invention. f

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the numeraldesignates a top closure preferably made of metal which com- -prisesdownwardly directed flanges' 11. l rI hel numeral 12I designates abottomclosure havingflanges 13 thereon. Sides 13 rand 14 are disposedbetween thetop and bottom membersv 10 and 12, respectively, and aresecured on the outside of the flanges 11 and 13. A rear ywall 14 and afrontfwall 15 are similarlyA mounted on the flange elementsof the topand bottom members and angularly shaped strips 16 are secured inthecorncrs of the closet thus formed. All' of the above mentionedmembers are securely riveted to-` gether as illustrated in thedrzm'ings.V

The front wall ofthe closet is provided with'an opening'of rectangularform in which a'door 17 is disposed. 17e-is pivotallygattached at itsright hand edge to the front to `swing outwardly to open position. Acatch or lock 18y isV provided -on the inner side of the door and isadapted to be emtheiprovision of mechanism for automati-v The door p`wall r15 and is adapted' ployed yfor locking the door from the insideafter a .person has taken refuge in the closet. u

A telephone 19 ofl the usual form is clamped onto a shelf 2O and astring or wire 21 is attached at one end to thereceiver hook 22 of thetelephone and at its Y' other end to one arm of abell crank 23. The bellcrank 23 is pivotally mounted'on a support 24 disposed between the frontand n rear walls of the closet and "is connectedbyl aA link 25 with alever 26 which is also pivotally mounted on the support 24. V.The lowerend of the lever26 is provided with a finger 27 Vwhich is adapted toengage the` door 17 'when the latter is moved to closed.

position.` It should be understood thatthe lever.26 is rotated when thedoor is closed completely and that the receiver hook 22 coinnectedtherewith is raised yand retained in a raised position as long as thedoor remains closed. The telephone 19 may be in direct communication`with a police station and electrically connected withra signal deviceat thevstation in the usual manner employed in telephone construction.When the receiver is lifted the party inthe closet can give what'information he desires to the-station without being in danger. i o

In order to prevent an intruder from approaching the door of the safetycloset. a.

bumper member 2Sis providedontheouter sidel of the door. The bumper 28is supported `on lazy tong members29 and 30 mounted within the closet onsupports 31 vand 32. respectively. vThe lazyvtong meinbers `are adaptedto extend through slots Vin the door 17 when the bumper is projected ina manner hereinafter described. Springs 33 and 34 are attachedy to theforward end l ofthe lazy tong members 29 and '30. respectively. and tothe supports 31 and` 32. for normally urging the bumper 28 against thedoor 17. I f n I A piston 35 is suitably mounted `in a cylinderv 36mounted o n a standard 37 and a spring 38 is disposed in thecylinder forurging the piston to the .left as viewed in Fig. 2. The pistony 35'isprovided with a piston rod 39 which is slidably mounted in the upper endof the support. 32. y The forward end of the piston rod -39 is providedwith a forked extension 40 comprisingarms 41 and 42,` whichare adaptedto extend through slots`43 and 44 in the door 17 and engage thel bumpermember 28. The piston 35 may be held in a retracted position with thespring 38 compressed, by the catch mechanism 44 which is pivotallymounted on the cylinder 36 and which vcomprises a pin 45 extendingthrough the wall of the cylinder. When it is desired to cause the bumper38 to be urged forwardly for knocking down an intruder, the lever 44 maybe rota 'ed for withdrawing the pin 45 to release the-piston 35 and thelatter will be urged forwardly by the spring 38.

A rod 46 is mounted on the end of the piston 35 and is extendedrearwardly through the rear wall 14 of the closet into a casing 47mounted thereon. The end of the rod 46 is adapted to engage a leafspring` 48 mounted at one extremity on the wall 14 and to hold the samein a tensioned position as shown in Fig. 2. The other extremityof thespring 48 is )rovided with a pointed projection which is adapted toregister with the cap of a blank cartridge 50 mounted in a bracket 51 onthe wall 14. It should be understood that when the levcil 44 is rotatedto release the piston. 35 for forcing the bumper 28 outwardly, the rod46 is also simultaneously disengaged from the spring 4S permitting thesame to rotate in a. clockwise direction and to cause the pointedprojection 49 to strike-the cartridge and discharge ythe same.

A signal device comprising an electric bell 52 is mounted in the closetand is electrically connected with a source of power 53 and in a circuitwith a contact member 54 mounted on the door 17 and a contact member 55mounted on a support 56.y When the door 17 is completely closed thecontact members 54 and 55 engage and complete an electric circuitthrough the bell.

In the modified form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 4, the cylinder36 is provided with a piston 35 and a piston rod 39 all of which aresimilar in construction to the elements shown in Fig. 2 and are adaptedto be similarly arranged in a closet. The Cylinder 36 is provided with alongitudinal slot 57 through which a pin 58 attached to the piston 35 isextended. A gear 59 is mounted on a shaft 60 attached to the standard37. The `gear 59 is provided with a cam member 6l which is adapted rto iengage the pin 5S for moving the piston`35 rearwardly to compress thespring 48. lVhen the cam member 6l moves out of cngagement with the pin58, the piston and piston rod are forced forwardly for operating thebumper as above described. The gear 59 is meshed with a gear 62 mountedon the shaft of an electric motor 68 which is electrically connected inan electric circuit with the switch 64 and source of power 65. It shouldbe understood that a person taking shelter in the above described closetmay manipulate the switch for causing the bumper to be manipulated andin this manner access to the door 17 is prevented. As shown in Fig. 5horizontally extending` bars GG may be mounted on the bumper and bars G7and 68 may be extended in advance of the top and bottom edges thereof.

Having' thus fully shown and described an embodiment of my invention,what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:Y

l. A safety closet ofthe class described comprising a pivotally mounteddoor, and a bumper thereon adapted to be projected forwardly.

2. A safety closet of the class described, comprising a bullet proofcasing having a door way therein, a door pivotallyV attached to saidcasing, a telephone in said casing, an actuating mechanism operatively fmounted in said closet connected with the receiver hook of saidtelephone and adapted to be engaged by said door when the latter iscompletely closed for raising said telephone receiver hook. i f

A safety closet of the class described comprising a casing having adoorway therein, a'door pivotally attached to saidcasing,l

a bumper comprisinga plate disposed in front of said door, lazy tongmembers'attached at their outer extremities rto said plate and at theirinner extremities to supports of said casing adapted to support saidplate in spaced relation to said door, said lazy tong members beingextended through apertures in said door, a forked member adapted to bedisposed through apertures in said door and to engage said plate forurging the same outwardly, a cylinder mounted in said closet directly inback of said door, a piston slidably mount-ed in said cylinder, a springdisposed in said cylinder for urging said piston forwardly, and a pistonrod connected at one extremity to said piston and at its other extremityto said forked member for urging the latter forwardly to project saidplate.

4. A safety closet of the class described comprising a casing having adoorway therein a door pivotally attached to said casing, a bumpercomprising a plate disposed in front of said door, lazy tong membersattached at their outer extremities to said plate and at their innerextremities to supports of said casing adapted to support said plate inspaced relation to said lazy tong members being extended throughapertures in said door, and spring actuated mechanism for forcing saidplate forwardly in advance of said door when .the latter is closed.

5. A safety closet of the class described, comprising a casing having adoorway therein, a door pivotally attached to said casing, a bumpercomprising a plate-disposed in front of said door,lazy tong membersattached at their outer extremities to said plate and at their innerextremities to supports of said casing adapted to support said plate inspaced relation to said door,

said lazy tong members being extendedl through apertures in said door,actuating mechanism comprising a plunger slidably mounted in said closetfor projecting said plate in advance of said door, a spring disposed inback of said plunger, and mechanismconiprising amotor driven cam forretracting said plunger to tension said spring for a second projectingoperation. Y

,6. A safety closet of the class described comprising a casing having adoorway therein, a door pivotally attached to said casing, a bumpercomprising a plate disposed in front of said door, lazy tong membersattached at their outer extremities to said plate and at their innerextremities to supports or" said casing adapted to support said plate inspaced relation to said door, said lazy tong members being extendedthrough apertures in said door, a plungerslidably mounted in said closetadapted to engagefsaid plate for urging the same forwardly, a piston onthe rear end of said plunger, avcylinder enclosing said piston, a sprindisposed between the rear end of said lcylinder and said piston, meansfor holding said piston in a rearward position while retaining saidspring tensioned, a casing mounted on the rear'wall of said bracket,aspring comprising a pointed projection attached to said rear wall anddisposed within said casing, a cartridge mounted4 in a bracket on therear wall of said closet adapted to be engaged by said projection and arod attached to said piston and extending rearwardly therefrom andthrough an aperture in said rear wall, said rod being adapted to engagesaid spring for normally retaining the projection thereof in spacedrelation to said cartridge and adapted to be disengaged from said springfor discharging saidcartridge when said plate is projected.'

In'testimony whereof VIhave aflixed my signature.. e

FRANK FNAGY.

